ComplaintsforSolo Motorsports of Lawrenceville

• Initial Complaint

  04/03/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I own a 2010 Audi S5. The 1st date of service was in late November 2023. I supplied my own parts but wanted them to provide the labor for a clutch replacement. On December 19th, I drove the car home and noticed that the clutch pedal was not engaging and loud noises that weren't present before. On 1/30/2024, I returned to the shop to let them know of the issues. The manager said he would look into the issue. The manager acknowledged an error on their part and agreed to fix the problem at no additional cost. However, after further inspection, I was told that I would need a new transmission and drive shaft. I purchased these parts as well. My vehicle has been in the shop over 3 months and is still not repaired. I financed the cost of the labor through Snap Finance for $5000 and put in a claim since the job was not complete or satisfactory. As of today, I still don't have my vehicle due to many delays and excuses on their part. They lack professionalism and have not been forthcoming with when they can have it fixed. I spent roughly $2000 additional for parts they say were needed to fix the car. They seldom called to update me with the status of the vehicle unless I called. I feel that I should be relieved of the obligation to pay the loan for repairs that still haven't taken place. I'm reluctant to go elsewhere because I don't know what will be wrong since they still are working on it. I need my car for work and this has caused great inconvenience and they have offered no relief while I wait for the repair. I asked if rental reimbursement was an option and was told no. I am contemplating seeking legal counsel but wanted to allow them to correct the problem. The nonchalance of this place is shocking. They told me that repairs were made that weren't started on yet. I just want to have my car repaired and delivered back to me the way it was supposed to be after being repaired in a timely manner. 3 plus months is excessive.

  Business response

  04/18/2024

  Hello Dear Readers

  Were responding to the claim made by our customer regarding duration and cost of his 2012 Audi S5 Repair.

  Customer first checked in November ******* for a transmission clutch replacement. The vehicle has over ******* miles with what it seemed original equipment. The customer provided some of parts and we recommended replacing additional components needed for this job. First time customer visited they were informed that this job will take a while due to shops workload and parts not being widely available since this is rare equipped car with manual transmission. Upon completion of the job we serviced the transmission and found metal shavings in the oil and informed the customer that the transmission has internal damages and will need new transmission. When the car checked out everything worked fine but transmission has audible sound. When customer returned we removed transmission and found that the input shaft is moving and touching other components inside transmission while in rotation. 

  Customer provided all replacement parts such as Used transmission and driveshaft. We found out that this transmission was missing components and sat outside in the weather, the transmission was from a different vehicle and its not straight forward installation and required further parts. Being that this is rare combo parts are not widely available. The transmission output shaft was different style, the gear lever mechanism was missing. Driveshaft provided is too long and doesn't fit. Seals needed to be replaced were on backorder and toon 2 weeks to arrive all while the car occupied our lift in the shop wasting time and money. 

  The vehicle is still in the shop waiting on driveshaft shop to craft a custom driveshaft to complete the job. Were dealing with used parts that have missing components and damaged components. Were stuck with fabricating new parts just to make it work and were dealing with parts far cheaper than average parts listed on market. 

  Weve been upfront with customer since day one and helped trying to overcome this issue. More than 30 days all together we have been waiting on parts to figure out how to make this work with parts from various different cars. 

  Transmission provided by customer was filled with water and dirt, driveshaft provided by customer is damaged and too long. Now were stuck dealing with issue where we have to retrofit two parts into one which makes this a custom job and not a regular straight forward job. The customer is without a car is growing frustrated that its taking long time. Were still unsure if this will resolve the issue since its custom job and were performing research and development. 

  As a shop we should replace parts that fit the car and not having to develop parts. This is still ongoing and hope this will be resolved soon. Now were setback another week to resolve driveshaft issue.

  Thanks

  Customer response

  04/25/2024

   
  Complaint: 21522046
  
  I am rejecting this response because: To begin with, I supplied all of the parts required to replace my clutch. I even agreed to have additional things replaced at their suggestion and my expense. They never serviced the transmission initially and clearly did not test drive the car after replacing the clutch or they would have noticed that the pedal would stick while driving and that there was a knocking-noise that was not present previously. *****, the owner, admitted that he did not initially test drive the car himself and that is what prompted him to look into the issue again. He did show me what was said to be metal shavings in the oil and said that it might be the transmission. I would never go to the trouble and expense of replacing my clutch if the transmission was bad and that is what their experts should have noticed upon arrival. I was informed of all other repairs the shop found pertinent, NONE mentioning damage or repairs to the transmission. Instead, they added the clutch haphazardly causing the shift linkage to be loose and more damage to my vehicle. ***** said they would take full ownership of the damages with no additional cost to me but instead I was forced to have to source my own parts for the repairs they caused with their approval on the items purchased. I do not work in this line of work hence why I took it to who I presumed to be professionals. When it came to finding these parts for the repair, I was constantly given excuses as to why they couldnt find them. The experience I had with the company was less than satisfactory and as far as time went, I understand how some things arent readily available and takes time in this industry but the lack of communication is deplorable. With-in a 56-month time span of dealing with this company, I received 4 to 5 phone calls to inform me of anything about my car. I had to initiate every encounter with the company to get any information on my vehicle. Deadlines were not met and were constantly pushed back. They neglected to call and inform me on the status of the vehicle and were not being forth coming through out the whole experience.
  As of 04/25/2024, I still have not heard anything from SoloMotorsports and dont have a vehicle. I have lost time and money and have to find my way around the best that I can. ***** complains of being stuck with having to fabricate new parts to get my vehicle repaired but this is something that they are admittedly responsible for. He also complained of my vehicle occupying their lift in the shop causing them to lose time and money. Again, whose fault is that? I am a paying customer who came to their establishment because I thought that they were experts on fixing foreign cars as they advertised. If my car was such a rare equipped vehicle he had the option to decline repairing it. As the expert, he knew of the time and likelihood of delays to find parts but he agreed to do the repair and ended up making things worse. I did not stop them from repairing it and go elsewhere because of the extensive measures it would take to gather up my parts and have someone else try to repair their errors. Not to mention, the car is not drivable at this point.
  ** told that the driveshaft is being retro-fitted and once that is complete, we should know if the car is operable. However, ***** stated that although the car starts, the wheels would not turn therefore, Im still at their mercy to see the repairs through.
  I just want this to be over so that we all can move on. I have been forthright with them throughout this ordeal but I cannot say the same for SoloMotorsports. An unreasonable amount of time and money was lost and I feel that instead of complaints from the owner, they should do all necessary actions to correct their errors and make me whole as a customer
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *********************************

  Business response

  05/20/2024

  Solo Motorsports was hired to perform clutch replacement job by ********. We were not asked to Diagnose the vehicle pre repair. We performed the repair and made suggestions for additional components, such as seals flywheel and pressure plate among other components since the vehicle is high mileage vehicle over 200k

  Post repair we performed test drive and noticed issues with transmission, we inspected transmission and found metal shavings which result internal failure. Customer was not charged for diagnostics performed post repair. Instead we tried to help and resolve problem. We recommended a different transmission or rebuild and promised to do it for discounted rate for friends and family. Customer provided all used parts.

  We received parts in very bad shape that were also fitted to different vehicle and required customization to make it work. Research and Development, cleaning, retrofitting, transfer of parts and maintenance required additional 15 hours of labor that customer was not charged for and we honored our word and charged customer what we have promised. 

  Customization is not straight forward parts replacement job and requires time and unexpected expenses. ******** received $2500 of credits of extra labor required to make things work. 

   

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